Automobile spring



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Patented May 26, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE THURMAN MoOAULEY, 0F BUTTE,,.MONTANA AUTOMOBILE SPRING Application filed December 27, 1929. Serial No. 416,886.

the provision and arrangement of an auxiliary leaf for the conventional form of leaf spring designed to throw or otherwise shift the weight of the load from the ends toward the center of the spring proper.

An additional object of the invention embodies the arrangement of coil springs between the spring proper and auxiliary leaves whereby the same efiect as a shock absorber in checking the rebound action is derived.

More specifically stated the auxiliary leaves are provided with pockets to accommodate the coil springs whereby the construction of the conventional springs do not have to be modified in any respect to facilitate application of the present invention.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention further consists of the follow ingnovel features and details of construction, tobe hereinafter more fully described,

illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a leaf spring with the invention applied.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary end elevation of the shackle connections for the main and auxiliary leaves.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of a leaf spring with the hanger construction partly broken away to illustrate the arrange ment of the modified form of the invention thereon.

Referring to the drawings in detail wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts, thereference character 10 indicates generally a bar or beam of an automobile chassis, not shown, forming a shackle sleeve within one end to accommodate a shackle bolt 11 for securing the adjacent end of a spring 12 therewith of the conventional leaf form. The opposite bearing sleeve for the spring 12, such as indicated at 13, is suspended between the lowermost ends of pivoted links 14 having connection at their uppermost ends with a fixed hanger 15 upon the under side of the vehicle chassis bar' 10. The foregoing description is common to that of the conventional spring construction and means of application therefor.

The preferred form of my invention primarily resides in the provision and arrange ment of an auxiliary leaf 16 and which as shown is preferably disposed upon the 1113-" per side of the lowermost of the leaves for the conventional leaf spring 12. This will increase the number of leaves for the spring to the extent of one-leaf. The action taking place by the addition of the auxiliaryleaf 16, however, is decidedly different than that which would be ordinarily expected in view of the fact that such leaf extends well beyond the extremities of the lowermost of the leaves of the spring 12 and forms pockets 17 thereon within which coil compression sprlngs 18 are received and sprung at their ends against the bottom of the pockets 17 and the adjacent surface of the immediate leaf in the spring 12. 7

Extensions 19 projecting outwardly and beyond the pockets 17 terminate to provide bearing sleeves 20 for the accommodation of shackle bolts 21. The sleeves 20, after the manner of the sleeves 13 for the extremities of the main leaf 12, are also supported between the extremities of spaced depending pivoted links or spring hanger bars 22 carried upon the same shackle bolts for the spring leaves 13.

In the modification of my invention disclosed in FigureB of the drawings, the invention appears more in the nature of an attachment which may be conveniently applied upon already made-up leaf springs as extras. The modification takes the form of those portions of the auxiliary leaf 16 extending beyond the extremities of the lowermost of the leaves in the leaf spring 12. The innermost ends of such extensions are carried by spring clamping yokes 23 whereas the opposite ends are secured in the manner previously set forth in Figure 2 of the drawings.

In the preferred form, thoseleaves of the spring 12 engageable with the uppermost end convolutions of the compression springs 18 may be provided with bosses or enlargements 24: to project within the convolutions thereof whereby distortion of said springs or displacement thereof will be prevented. In both the preferred and modified forms of the invention, however, the bottom walls of the pockets 17 are provided with studs, enlargements or bosses 25 which project well within the lowermost ends of the springs.

The forms of my invention will give the same eifect as a shock absorber, making it impossible to break a spring, as the resistance of these springs do not allow the car to jerk upwardly on themain spring. There is also the advantage of having the whole absorber applied to the spring alone thereby obviating the customary spring tensioned drums carried upon the chassis and straps carried thereby and joined to the main springs.

It will be further noted that by the restricting of downward movement of the main springs adjacent the ends thereof that the weight of the load or spring action to take place will be shifted or otherwise delivered toward the centers thereof whereby the breaking of springs will be obviated.

The invention is susceptible of various changes in its form, proportions and minor details of construction, and the right is herein reserved to make such changes as properly fall within the scope of the appended claim,

Having described the invention, what is claimed is A leaf spring attachment comprising an auxiliary leaf having connection with the main leaf adjacent the ends, pivoted links carried by and extended beyond the shackle connections for the main leaf, a bearing sleeve formed in the extended ends of the auxiliary leaf being journaled between the remaining extremities of said links, the auxiliary leaf having pockets, and compression springs carried within said pockets and sprung between the auxiliary leaf and the spring proper to shift the weight of the load and the spring action therefor toward the center.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

GEORGE THURMAN MCCAULEY. 

